--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Music can be a distraction and an escape…" description: "\"Music can be a distraction and an escape. Sometimes a welcome escape. You need it. But music can also serve a very important social function because mu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/523/howard-zinn-576_agitation_music-can-be-a-distraction-and-an-escape_196364.jpg" --- # Music can be a distraction and an escape. Sometimes a… ![“Music can be a distraction and an escape. Sometimes a welcome escape. You need it. But music can also serve a very important social function because music can do things that mere prose, mere ordinary political agitation can't do.” quote by Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/523/howard-zinn-576_agitation_music-can-be-a-distraction-and-an-escape_196364.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/523/howard-zinn-576_agitation_music-can-be-a-distraction-and-an-escape_196364.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/523/howard-zinn-576_agitation_music-can-be-a-distraction-and-an-escape_196364.jpg) > “Music can be a distraction and an escape. Sometimes a welcome escape. You need it. But music can also serve a very important social function because music can do things that mere prose, mere ordinary political agitation can't do.” [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Music distracts and offers escape, but also fulfills unique social functions that prose and politics cannot. **In simple terms:** Music provides escape and unique social impact. Key Takeaway Use music for both relief and social connection. Themes music society escape communication culture Mood inspirational thoughtful Type cultural practical When to use this quote - stress relief - community building - activism - creative expression Key Concepts social cohesion emotional regulation political expression Questions to Reflect On - How does music influence your community? - When has music helped you express something words cannot? A Different Perspective Music’s impact varies across cultures and contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Agitation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agitation/) [Can do](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/can-do/) [Distraction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distraction/) [Function](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/function/) [Function Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/function-music-954480/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Mere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mere/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Music Distraction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-distraction-1363381/) [Need Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need-music-464728/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Ordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ordinary/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prose/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Social Function](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-function-359234/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Welcome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/welcome/) ## Related quotes > [You know how a lot of people say, 'I lose myself in music,' or 'I like to escape,' but I want my music to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhene-aiko/you-know-how-a-lot-of-people-say-i-lose-myself-in-music-or-i-like-to/) [Jhene Aiko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhene-aiko/) > [Music was always the distraction, so it was the obvious choice to pursue. My dad always said to find a job I love to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mraz/music-was-always-the-distraction-so-it-was-the-obvious-choice-to/) [Jason Mraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mraz/) > [“He said that the principal function of music was to organize the details into harmonies that were intended to make us forget that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seldon-edwards/he-said-that-the-principal-function-of-music-was-to-organize-the/) [Seldon Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seldon-edwards/) > [The function of music is to release us from the tyranny of conscious thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-beecham/the-function-of-music-is-to-release-us-from-the-tyranny-of-conscious/) [Thomas Beecham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-beecham/) > [I don't know how to function without music. When I'm not making it, I'm listening to it. It gives me courage and takes care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billie-eilish/i-don-t-know-how-to-function-without-music-when-i-m-not-making-it-i-m/) [Billie Eilish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billie-eilish/) > [The function of music is to liberate in the soul those feelings which normally we keep locked up in the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-faulks/the-function-of-music-is-to-liberate-in-the-soul-those-feelings-which/) [Sebastian Faulks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-faulks/) > [Dancing is an important function of music, but so is crying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-melua/dancing-is-an-important-function-of-music-but-so-is-crying/) [Katie Melua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-melua/) > [The function of music is to release us from the boredom of existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-horsley/the-function-of-music-is-to-release-us-from-the-boredom-of-existence/) [Sebastian Horsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-horsley/) > [Depending on their psychic make up, for some people, closing the eyes or being quiet produces anxiety and increases mental agitation. In such situations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-ravindra/depending-on-their-psychic-make-up-for-some-people-closing-the-eyes/) [Ravi Ravindra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-ravindra/) > [Is still fulfilling its social function in supplying the consumers with more, better and cheaper goods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/is-still-fulfilling-its-social-function-in-supplying-the-consumers/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [Music originally had a social function. You were in church, in a concert hall, a marching band; you were dancing. I'm concerned that music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-sacks/music-originally-had-a-social-function-you-were-in-church-in-a/) [Oliver Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-sacks/) > [The Neurosciences do not exist exclusively to understand man's nature. They also serve a social function, such as in the treatment of the cerebral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodolfo-llinas/the-neurosciences-do-not-exist-exclusively-to-understand-man-s-nature/) [Rodolfo Llinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodolfo-llinas/) > [Now culture being a social product, I firmly believe that any work of art should have a social function to beautify, to glorify, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-bulosan/now-culture-being-a-social-product-i-firmly-believe-that-any-work-of/) [Carlos Bulosan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-bulosan/) > [“The social function of narrative is not limited to 'primitive' people sitting around the fire telling each other where Fire came from and why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/the-social-function-of-narrative-is-not-limited-to-primitive-people/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [If even dying is to be made a social function, then, grant me the favor of sneaking out on tiptoe without disturbing the party.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/if-even-dying-is-to-be-made-a-social-function-then-grant-me-the-favor/) [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) ## More by Howard Zinn > [“A black man, Benjamin Banneker, who taught himself mathematics and astronomy, predicted accurately a solar eclipse, and was appointed to plan the new city…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/a-black-man-benjamin-banneker-who-taught-himself-mathematics-and/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/there-is-no-flag-large-enough-to-cover-the-shame-of-killing-innocent/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [“a good education is a synthesis of book learning and involvement in social action, because each enrich the other. The accumulation of knowledge, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/a-good-education-is-a-synthesis-of-book-learning-and-involvement-in/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [The mountain of history books under which we all stand leans so heavily in the other direction-so tremblingly respectful of states and statesmen and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/the-mountain-of-history-books-under-which-we-all-stand-leans-so/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [Let's face a historical truth: we have never had a "free market", we have always had government intervention in the economy, and indeed that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/let-s-face-a-historical-truth-we-have-never-had-a-free-market-we-have/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [I can UNDERSTAND pessimism, but I don't BELIEVE in it. It's not simply a matter of faith, but of historical EVIDENCE. Not overwhelming evidence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/i-can-understand-pessimism-but-i-don-t-believe-in-it-it-s-not-simply/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [Protest beyond the law is not a departure from democracy; it is absolutely essential to it. It is a corrective to the sluggishness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/protest-beyond-the-law-is-not-a-departure-from-democracy-it-is/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [Now I have been studying very closely what happens every day in the courts in Boston, Massachusetts. You would be astounded--maybe you wouldn't, maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/now-i-have-been-studying-very-closely-what-happens-every-day-in-the/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [They were not mentioned in the Declaration of Independence, they were absent in the Constitution and they were invisible in the new political democracy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/they-were-not-mentioned-in-the-declaration-of-independence-they-were/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [“Sexual purity was to be the special virtue of a woman. It was assumed that men, as a matter of biological nature, would sin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/sexual-purity-was-to-be-the-special-virtue-of-a-woman-it-was-assumed/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [“Middle-class Americans might be invited to join a new elite by attacks against the corruption of the established rich. The New Yorker Cadwallader Colden,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/middle-class-americans-might-be-invited-to-join-a-new-elite-by/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [If those in charge of our society - politicians, corporate executives, and owners of press and television - can dominate our ideas, they will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/if-those-in-charge-of-our-society-politicians-corporate-executives/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [We were not born critical of existing society. There was a moment in our lives (or a month, or a year) when certain facts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/we-were-not-born-critical-of-existing-society-there-was-a-moment-in/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [Behind the deceptive words designed to entice people into supporting violence -- words like democracy, freedom, self-defense, national security -- there is the reality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/behind-the-deceptive-words-designed-to-entice-people-into-supporting/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [“George Washington had turned down the requests of blacks, seeking freedom, to fight in the Revolutionary army. So when the British military commander in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/george-washington-had-turned-down-the-requests-of-blacks-seeking/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) [Explore all 461 Howard Zinn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) ## More Agitation quotes > [The party in Alobar’s head, which agitation and anxiety were throwing, now was crashed by a notion: existence can be rearranged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-party-in-alobar-s-head-which-agitation-and-anxiety-were-throwing/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Indifference is harder to fight than hostility, and there is nothing that kills an agitation like having everybody admit that it is fundamentally right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-eastman/indifference-is-harder-to-fight-than-hostility-and-there-is-nothing/) [Crystal Eastman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-eastman/) > [...the Government must not think that they can stop this agitation. It will go on...We are here not because we are law-breakers; we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmeline-pankhurst/the-government-must-not-think-that-they-can-stop-this-agitation-it/) [Emmeline Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmeline-pankhurst/) > [This position is untenable, and there can be no pause in the agitation for full political power and responsibility until these are granted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-kelley/this-position-is-untenable-and-there-can-be-no-pause-in-the-agitation/) [Florence Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-kelley/) > [“It is unworthy of great spirits to spread abroad the agitation they feel”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-is-unworthy-of-great-spirits-to-spread-abroad-the-agitation-they/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“If lies comfort, and truth disturbs - self is being agitated as a result of prideful living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-f-hodge/if-lies-comfort-and-truth-disturbs-self-is-being-agitated-as-a-result/) [T.F. Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-f-hodge/) > [We too are called to withdraw at certain intervals into deeper silence and aloneness with God, together as a community as well as personally;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/we-too-are-called-to-withdraw-at-certain-intervals-into-deeper/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [The wisest among my race understand that agitations of social equality is the extremist folly, and that progress in the enjoyment of all privileges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/the-wisest-among-my-race-understand-that-agitations-of-social/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [“Mirabeau: “If you have been told to clear us from this hall, you must ask for orders to use force. We shall leave our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/mirabeau-if-you-have-been-told-to-clear-us-from-this-hall-you-must/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [Agitation is that part of our intellectual life where vitality results; there ideas are born, breed and bring forth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-edward-woodberry/agitation-is-that-part-of-our-intellectual-life-where-vitality/) [George Edward Woodberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-edward-woodberry/) > [It is not proper to project our feelings onto things or to attribute our own sensations and passions to them. Can it also be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/it-is-not-proper-to-project-our-feelings-onto-things-or-to-attribute/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Agitation is all about poetry, governance is all about prose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jairam-ramesh/agitation-is-all-about-poetry-governance-is-all-about-prose/) [Jairam Ramesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jairam-ramesh/) > [Wherever capitalism appears, in pursuit of its mission of exploitation, there will Socialism, fertilized by misery, watered by tears, and vitalized by agitation be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-v-debs/wherever-capitalism-appears-in-pursuit-of-its-mission-of-exploitation/) [Eugene V. Debs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-v-debs/) > [Patience takes courage. It is not an ideal state of calm. In fact, when we practice patience we will see our agitation far more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/patience-takes-courage-it-is-not-an-ideal-state-of-calm-in-fact-when/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Every day I observe more and more the folly of judging of others by ourselves; and I have so much trouble with myself, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/every-day-i-observe-more-and-more-the-folly-of-judging-of-others-by/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) [Browse all 173 Agitation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agitation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Music can be a distraction and an escape. Sometimes a welcome escape. You need it. 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